Nikko

After a good traditional breakfast at the hotel, a private coach took us from 550m in Nikko up through Nikko national park with 48 hairpin bends, each number noted by a Japanese character. There was very heavy traffic due to the Japanese coming to see the autumn colours, some probably on day trips from Tokyo. There was over an hour's wait to be herded into a cable-car for a short ride up a mountain so we didn't bother but continued up to the area around Lake Chuzengi at 1300m
We went to the Kegon Waterfall, descending 100m in a lift. Steve pointed out an optical illusion of concentrating on a point of the waterfall for a few minutes and then quickly looking at the cliff-face which appeared to be moving upwards like an elevator.
I had lunch in two coffee-shops; one with a custard and banana crepe, and the second with a pork dumpling. In between, having walked past a smell of sulphur from the volcanic fumes, we took a boat ride for an hour on the volcanic lake,. We saw the surrounding mountains including Mt Nantai, an extinct volcano 8000m high; the autumn foliage on the trees. and the villas owned formerly by the British and other Embassies escaping the summer heat and humidity of Tokyo.
Chuzenji was much busier than when I'd been there in September when it seemed out-of-season.
In the afternoon, we took a short walk downhill to see the Ryuzu Falls before taking an hour to return to Nikko through heavy traffic.
Dinner at the hotel was another seven-course French-style meal.Leggi altro